


All Things Being Equal

by Writerleft



Series: Comes Marching Home [3]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Canon Compliant, Comfort, Female Friendship, Korrasami Month 2016, Prompt:Equalist Asami, multipurpose, political subtext
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-10
Updated: 2016-11-10
Packaged: 2018-08-30 05:42:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8520661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writerleft/pseuds/Writerleft
Summary: As the shock of the Equalist occupation of Republic City wears off and Asami comes to terms with the ugly reality of it, Korra is there to offer support.





	

**Author's Note:**

> (This isn't bad, but it's not my best work, and I kinda wish it wasn't so early in this series because of it. Everything still fits and it's a nice little slice of time, but my distraction comes through pretty clearly.)

Korra was petting down Naga rather aggressively as Asami got back to the homeless settlement in the sewer, Equalist helmet under her arm. The entire uniform made her skin crawl, but there was no other way she could safely travel in the city. No other way to scout out what was happening, to blend in.

No other way to hear her father.

Bolin had been with her, though he'd been hesitant. When her father's speech reached the point about Amon putting an end to bending forever, and that even the Avatar was helpless to stop him, when she saw the spittle flying from her father's once-kind face, she left. She couldn't stay. She couldn't believe what he'd become, that she hadn't seen it... she couldn't stay.

Bolin had tried to comfort her, to lighten the mood, to distract her, but she remained quiet. “Hey,” he said, once they were safely in the sewers, masks off. “Hug? I sure know I can use one.”

She'd accepted, distantly, more in form than in truth. It made Bolin feel good to think he made her feel good.

She didn't want to feel anything.

Her father—the man she'd thought she'd known—was gone. If he'd ever existed. Her whole life was gone.

And her boyfriend...

Mako was nowhere to be seen, and strangely, Asami felt relieved. Bolin went off to find some food, leaving her alone with Korra and Naga.

She tore off the Equalist coat, stripping down to her undershirt as quickly as she could. She threw the uniform to the ground with a grunt, then slumped onto her bed roll.

Her chest was tight, and her entire gut felt heavy and ready to burst. Thoughts and memories burned behind her eyes, choked her throat tight. How could this have happened? How could her father, and so many others, be doing something so destructive? How could there be so _many_?

“Woah, Asami,” Korra said, kneeling close by. “You... you don't look like you're doing so hot.”

Asami shook her head, turning away, trying to shrug it off. She was doing what she could, fighting with the Avatar, trying to set things right. If only she'd listened sooner, if only she'd been able to see—

“Asami,” Korra said, brushing her arm. “Look, I know you said back on Air Temple Island you have yourself covered, but... I hate to see you hurting. Is there anything I can do? Listen? Talk?”

“What's to talk about?” Asami said, crossing her arms on top of her legs, pressing her nose between her knees. Closing her eyes. “I thought I knew my dad. I thought I knew this city. Turns out, I don't know anything.”

Korra plopped down beside her, without a word, put an arm around Asami's back, and pulled Asami's head to her shoulder.

She didn't struggle. She didn't have the strength to. Her arms pressed tight against her chest, as if to hold her heart inside, to hold herself together, to fend off an attack from reality itself.

Asami wept. She didn't care that everyone could see her. Let them. Didn't care that Korra saw—the arm around her offered some small comfort, some shred of warmth to cling to as everything fell apart.

Korra rocked gently, stroking Asami's hair. She didn't say anything, ask anything. She was there. 

It helped.

“How can it be so bad that they want to destroy everything?” Asami whispered. “How can they think that's the solution?”

She felt Korra swallow. “I don't know.”

“There's so many of them.”

“They aren't everyone.”

“They're in control.”

“They won't be forever.” She clapsed Asami's hands. “We'll fight back. As soon as General Iroh's forces get here—”

“It won't fix the things that caused this.” Her voice cracked—more tears were coming. “I don't know what to do, Korra.”

“Well, first of all,” Korra said, squeezing her hands, “cry. Cry your heart out. It's okay. I mean, you've caught me crying, it's only fair.”

Asami chuckled a little, which was all it took to let the tears really flow. One of Korra's arms somehow found its way between hers; she clutched it tightly, weeping freely into Korra's shoulder, her whole body aching from what had become of her world.

Within a few minutes, she'd caught her breath, retained her control. She could have kept going. She felt like she could cry for days, or sleep for a month. She felt like finding an even deeper hole in the ground and pulling it closed over herself. She felt like...

Korra bit her armband, pulling it off her free arm in her teeth while Asami kept hold on the other. The Avatar smiled, and dabbed Asami's eyes.

“We're not out,” Korra said. “Things are really messed up right now, but as much as I hate to admit it, Tenzin was right. We've got to wait. Then we'll beat Amon, we'll take back the city.”

“And then what?”

“Huh?”

Asami pulled back a little, looking into Korra's eyes. “What then? Even if we can take back the city, even if you throw every Equalist in jail, the fact that benders still have all the power will still be there. They're the police, they're the government... everything. The system these people resent, that'll still be there. Even when most benders aren't hurting them. And some benders will.”

“We're... well we'll just have to change that.”

Asami blinked. “Just like that?”

Korra shrugged. “There was no United Republic, before Zuko and Aang made it. The rules they made aren't working. We'll just have to fix them. What Amon's doing is wrong, but Tarrlok arresting you was no better. Aang and Zuko wouldn't want people to be afraid, just because of who they are, right? I certainly don't.”

She gave a ragged laugh, resting her head back on Korra's shoulder. “A terrorist has taken over the city and you're just... that sure you can make it better.”

“No... I'm sure _we_ can make it better. Me, you, Mako, Bolin, the government, the people, the army, the police... we all live here, right? We can make a new system we can all live with for a while, before people figure out whatever we screwed it up, and fix it again.”

This time, Asami's snicker had a little actual mirth to it. “Ah, so, tempered optimism, then.”

Korra shrugged. “Look how much has changed in the last few decades? How much more is going to? Even if we do everything perfectly, something will come and throw off the balance. I don't think there's ever a permanent end goal, you know? I don't think we're ever _finished_.”

“When we think we are... that's how the Equalists happened.”

“Yeah, something like that,” Korra said.

“Hey, Korra,” Mako said, coming up behind them. “Do you have any idea when Bo—oh. Asami, you're back.”

Asami tensed, noticing Korra's backward glance, the slight smile on the Avatar's lips as she looked at Asami's boyfriend. Not that he was acting like much of one. Korra wasn't exactly pushing him away... but then, she was here, with Asami, now. When she needed it. Whatever else was going on, Korra was being the best friend she could.

She wouldn't forget that.

“We were just talking politics,” Korra said, disentangling from Asami but staying close. “Sounds like the Equalist rallies get pretty intense. We should check one out ourselves.”

“Good idea,” he said. “Asami, you okay?”

Asami took a deep, long breath. “Yeah, I'm fine.”

“Okay, good. Glad you made it back safe.”

She grit her teeth. Really, Mako? “You know me.”

“Bolin must be back too, then. I'll go check around the stew barrel.”

Asami rolled her eyes, ignoring Korra watch him leave. But watch though she might, she stayed by Asami's side.

“Thanks,” Asami said, nudging Korra's arm. “I'm... still feeling pretty down, but at least I don't feel quite so alone about it. And maybe we will be able to beat this thing.”

“That's more like it,” Korra grinned, her eyes meeting Asami's. She had to admit, those cyan eyes really were striking and

Asami realized she was looking a little too intently, and broke their gaze, stifling a smirk. “Things never seemed like they could get this bad, before. Maybe... no, mathematically, the opposite must be true. As bad as things seem now, it masks the potential we have to make things better. Not overnight, but we'll get there.”

“I'm sure we will,” Korra said, leaning back on her hands, a pensive look on her face. “No idea what things will look like next year, much less after two, or four. But we'll keep fighting. We'll turn that corner.”

Asami leaned back too. “Well, I can't wait to be on the other side of it.”

Korra nodded, giving a sardonic chuckle of her own. “You and me both.”

 

 

Fanart courtesy of [notaspambot](http://notaspambot.tumblr.com/post/175092476257) 

**Author's Note:**

> As you may be able to tell, I wrote most of this just after the US Election. 
> 
> Yeah. 
> 
> Everything in here makes sense for the setting and what's going on, plus I always felt like a few friendship moments were needed in book 1 to really justify how insanely accepting Asami is of Makorra. But yeah, there's some definite 'take a deep breath, this sucks now, but things will work out' going on here. 
> 
> We don't get to see how it turns out in the story, but we know they win and go on to live sapphicly ever after, four years or so later. They fought hard and suffered much, for those four years. But they won and they earned the happier world they get. 
> 
> I needed to know that right now.
> 
>  
> 
> [Visit me on my tumblr! Say hi! I'm probably still intermittently screaming about politics... but mostly sharing Korrasami stuff :)](https://threehoursfromtroy.tumblr.com/)


End file.
